N.C. A&T Funds Environmental Projects

GREENSBORO - Guilford County teachers and students will be better prepared to study the environment, under two projects initiated by faculty in the School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at North Carolina Agriculture and Technical State University. The projects were among 17 faculty research projects receiving a total of $235,664 from the N.C. A&T FUTURES initiative for the 2003-2004 academic year.

Dr. Ipek Goktepe, adjunct assistant professor of food and microbiology, has been awarded $11,300 to improve the environmental education and

teaching skills of up to 60 teachers, students and residents of Guilford County. A major focus of the teacher training will be to prepare them to guide students in inquiry-based and hands-on activities that develop competence in environmental science.Dr. G.B. Reddy, chairman of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Design, received $15,000 for research on soil and water quality. Under the project, an interdisciplinary team combining expertise in agricultural economics, civil engineering, bioenvironmental engineering, chemical engineering, soil science, and extension will

develop special research projects in soil and water quality. The grant will also fund seminars, scholarships for three undergraduates and two graduates, and will help leverage additional external funding for research. Reddy’s long-range goal is for the project to lay a foundation for the establishment of a center for soil and water quality research at A&T.
The FUTURES grant program at A&T is designed to foster collaborative research aimed at building student success, an interactive university, resource diversification and expansion, information technology, and globalization skills.